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Candidate pledges accountability to voters
Jimmy Faircloth still expresses surprise, more than 18 months after taking a job as the top legal aide to Gov. Bobby Jindal.
Today, Faircloth is running in a special election for a spot on the Louisiana Supreme Court, the state's top judicial body.
"If you told me a couple of years ago I'd be involved in politics, I'd tell you it ain't going to happen," said Faircloth. "I've always been too plain spoken, outspoken."
A special election will be held Oct. 17 to fill the seat of retiring justice Chet Traylor.
Faircloth said he got his start in politics after volunteering with Jindal's first campaign for governor. When Jindal was elected in the primary election over a field of candidates, Faircloth was asked to become the new governor's executive counsel, an integral part of Jindal's inner circle of advisors.
Faircloth jumped at the opportunity, but not without cost.
Though no state or federal law prohibits attorneys from holding an appointed position while maintaining a private practice, Faircloth said Jindal's tough stance on ethics precluded such an arrangement.
"I sold my practice to my partners and stepped out of a business I really liked," Faircloth said.
That business was the 15 year-old Alexandria law firm he founded.
The experience Faircloth gained at that firm that is what he said makes him the most qualified candidate in the race for the state's highest court.
When you consider all of the experiences, my experience is the greater," Faircloth said.
Faircloth touted academic credentials, which include a B.S. in business from Louisiana Tech and a law degree from Georgia State University.
Faircloth spent an extra year in school and earned a Master of Laws degree from Emory University.
In addition to his experience as a trial attorney and prosecutor, Faircloth also served as a city attorney in Pineville.
Faircloth said he decided to enter private practice after the birth of his son.
"It inspired me to go out and do my own thing," Faircloth said. "I wanted to grow my own firm."
Over the next decade and a half, Faircloth built the practice from scratch, with only a sister-in-law as a part-time employee, to a thriving business with 14 lawyers.
Faircloth said he is proud of his work at the firm.
"I like the law," Faircloth said. "I'm very proud of it and think it's a great profession."
Faircloth is one of two candidates to replace Traylor. He will face off against 4th Judicial District Court Judge Marcus Clark on Oct. 17.
Faircloth said running for the state supreme court is not the "last stop."
"If I lost on Oct. 17, I'd be back in the office getting my practice back together," Faircloth said. |
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